This invention relates to an image processing device and method, and distribution medium. More specifically, it relates to an image processing device and method, and distribution medium, in which changes in a prescribed image can be continuously extracted and tracked.
The recent proliferation of computer entertainment devices has made it possible to enjoy games in every home. In these computer entertainment devices, the game objects (characters) are usually made to move in arbitrary directions and at arbitrary speeds by users who manipulate buttons or joysticks.
Thus a conventional device is made so that various commands are input by manipulating buttons or joysticks. This amounts to nothing more than mirroring button and joystick manipulation techniques in the game. The problem has been that it is impossible to enjoy games that have more abundant changes.
The present invention, which was devised with this situation in mind, is intended to make it possible to enjoy games that have more abundant changes.
The image processing device has a first extraction means that extracts the image of a prescribed part from an input image; a second extraction means that extracts a part of the prescribed part extracted by the first extraction means as a higher-resolution image; and a tracking means that tracks the image of the prescribed part so that the second extraction means can continuously extract the image of the prescribed part from the image extracted by the first extraction means.
The image processing method also includes a first extraction step that extracts the image of a prescribed part from an input image; a second extraction step that extracts a part of the prescribed part extracted in the first extraction step as a higher-resolution image; and a tracking step that tracks the image of the prescribed part so that in the second extraction step the image of the prescribed part can be continuously extracted from the image extracted in the first extraction step.
The distribution medium provides a program that causes processing to be executed on an image processing device and includes a first extraction step that extracts the image of a prescribed part from an input image; a second extraction step that extracts a part of the prescribed part extracted in the first extraction step as a higher-resolution image; and a tracking step that tracks the image of the prescribed part so that in the second extraction step the image of the prescribed part can be continuously extracted from the image extracted in the first extraction step.
A higher-resolution image is extracted so that the image of the prescribed part can be continuously tracked from the input image.